


Their Year

by crikey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Gen, rated for language but this should really be for general audiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crikey/pseuds/crikey
Summary: The Hogwarts Express, 1994.





	Their Year

Cedric Diggory has a magnetic, instantly likable kind of personality. Even Zacharias Smith, who makes a habit of hating anybody that likable, can’t help but like him. When Cedric puts his head in the compartment he’s sharing with Ernie and company, there’s a part of Zacharias that’s thrilled that Cedric Diggory has stopped in to talk to  _ him _ . 

(Of course once Cedric has left, Zacharias will say something like, “Nice of him to look in on the little people” or “The great Diggory deigned to gift us with his valuable time,” but for now he will nod along stupidly when Cedric asks how his summer was.)

“You see the World Cup?” says Zacharias. “Mad.”

“Yeah,” says Cedric. “Mad. Hey, are you trying out this year? I figure I’m Captain again--”

“Yeah, of course,” says Zacharias. With absolutely no hyperbole, he would  _ die  _ before he let some other dick take  _ his  _ spot on Cedric Diggory’s team. “You figure?”

“Didn’t get a letter, so they must just mean me to keep it,” says Cedric. He shrugs. “At first I thought it was a mistake, but I’m sure whoever’s in charge of that knows what they’re doing, right? Things will work out.”

_ So bloody perfect, _ thinks Zacharias. Out loud he says “I bet you’re captain again. Not like anybody else could do it.”

“Oh,” says Cedric, with a modest grin, “Come on, now, everybody on the team is a fantastic player and I’d be honored to have any as my captain.”

_ So BLOODY perfect _ , thinks Zacharias. “I’ll see you for tryouts, then?”

“Count on it,” says Cedric. He pats the doorframe cheerfully, getting ready to head back to wherever he and his  _ too cool _ friends are sitting, and says “I want to see great things, Zach! This is gonna be our year, I can feel it!”

“Fuck yeah,” says Zacharias weakly. When Cedric finally leaves, closing the door politely behind him like a bloody saint, it is as though he takes the air in the compartment with him. 

“He’s probably captain again,” says Hannah Abbott stupidly to Susan Bones, and then she giggles madly. Justin asks Ernie curiously what had happened at the World Cup. 

“Oh it’s a _long_ story,” says Ernie, before immediately launching into a long-winded retelling of it. 

Zacharias rolls his eyes, so they can all see him do so, and glares out the window at the scenery, a part of him still thrilling inside. Cedric had stopped to see him. Cedric wanted him to try out again. Zacharias, who generally expected to be universally disliked, was wanted  _ back on the team _ , and that meant more than he was ever going to admit. 

This was going to be their year! 


End file.
